Most commercially available tampon applicators for introducing catamenial tampons intravaginally consist of a pair of telescoping tubes. The outer tube is designed to store a tampon at one end. The inner or ejector tube is slightly smaller in diameter and is slidably positioned behind the tampon carried in the outer tube. In use, the tampon is ejected from the applicator by pushing the inner tube into the outer tube to expel the tampon.
Several drawbacks are associated with such applicators for certain uses. For example, such tampon applicators are substantially longer than the tampons. First, the outer tube must be of length sufficient to assure proper depth of insertion. Next, when the tampon and outer tube are assembled with the ejector tube, a major portion of the latter tube necessarily extends out from the end of the outer tube. This results in the over-all length of the packaged ready-for-use tampon applicator being approximately two and one-half times the length of the tampon. As a result of such a relatively large size, the bulk and cost of the packaging for such applicators are increased.
Women commonly carry such packaged tampons (with applicators) in their purses. Because of the length of such applicators, they occupy a relatively large amount of space in the purse. It is therefore also desirable to produce a tampon applicator of smaller size which is less obtrusive. This is a particular problem for younger women who often prefer not to carry purses and with today's fashions often must use pockets in relatively tight-fitting clothes.
One type of tampon applicator which has been proposed to solve the above problems utilizes a substantially flat, elongated plunger arm which is stored positioned along the outside of and in longitudinal alignment with the outer tube. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,222,088; 3,059,641; 3,059,642; 3,103,929; 3,115,876; 3,424,159; 3,759,258; 3,831,605; and 4,269,187.
Another type of tampon applicator has been proposed to solve the foregoing problems by telescoping the ejector tube completely into the outer tube while storing the tampon in the distal end of the ejector tube. This also shortens the tampon and applicator assembly by the length of a tampon. Operatively, the ejector tube is then drawn out most of the way from the proximal end of the outer tube leaving behind the tampon until the distal end of the ejector tube can engage the proximal end of the stored tampon. Each patentee discloses a different way of securing the stored tampon in the distal end of the outer tube to prevent proximal displacement of the tampon while the ejector tube is withdrawn therefrom. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,713; British Pat. No. 2,033,754; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,832,342 (distal end of withdrawal string secured to slot in distal end of outer tube); 3,090,385 (having an ejector arm, rather than an ejector tube); 4,276,881; 4,286,595; and 4,479,791.
See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,647 where the ejector tube is conventionally stored in the proximal end of the outer tube, but the ejector tube is made in two separate parts which are stored prior to use with one telescoped over the other and are adapted to snap into a locked elongated postion prior to use.
Apparently, none of the foregoing types of applicators has ever been commercially successful.